Searching for Brothers [One Piece fanfic]

Chapter LXVII: Forgotten Voice

Chapter 67
Word Count: 2.3 k
A/N: Well, I'm alive.

THIRD PERSON P.O.V.

"A curse?" Clementine repeats as she blinks, not expecting such an answer from the old woman in front of her. The young blonde openly ignores Law as he scoffs, the man rolling his eyes. The said man sends Clementine a disbelieving look, questioning the female's sanity for listening to Indraa.

"It is a curse indeed, my dear. Our humble island has angered the mountain gods that reside here, and now as punishment, we have all been cursed. You must leave before the curse affects you all as well," Indraa solemnly speaks, the wrinkles on her face thick with grief.

Clementine hums, placing a thoughtful hand on her chin. She sends a sharp glare at Law as he grumbles, "ridiculous," under his breath. But she doesn't give him the satisfaction of letting him know he was annoying her and returns her attention back to the older woman who was sipping the cup of tea Clementine had prepared.

"And what kind of curse, if you do not mind me asking?" Clementine questions as she offers Indraa another cup of tea, noticing the first cup is nearly finished.

A large, heavy sigh leaves the older woman's thin lips, "the current place we are standing on used to be where the Byakko village was located. We were a tribe that lived on the south end of the island that had protected the woods for centuries. However, crops have been failing and dying in the last five years, animals disappearing, and the water has been poisoned. Our numbers dwindled with little food, a disease spreading through our village."

Her words immediately caught Law's attention, his eyes narrowing in curiosity at the word 'disease.'

"Nearly all of us have gotten infected. Even our strong young men have fallen to the curse and have died. The curse was too strong. No one, the young or the old, has not been saved," Indraa curls her thin fingers, her hands in a tight fist placed on the table.

"This disease you speak of, what kind of symptoms are there," Law places his hand on his chin, now seeming to be interested in the topic the two women talked about.

"It's horrid. The skin hardens as if it's made out of thick scales. It first appears on the arms and legs in specks, but it begins to spread throughout the body, and it extrudes out. Eventually, it covered every part, and people began to struggle to breathe. A high fever breaks out, and people begin to cough blood as the scales begin to appear inside the mouth until they can no longer breathe," Indraa cries out as she covers her face with her hands, "our gods are angered that we allowed those foolish men to take over the north end of the island and tear down the forest!!"

Clementine is immediately on her feet, her hands soothingly patting the old woman's back as she shakes with sobs. Hearing the older woman's cry of agony and despair, the young woman's face twists with sympathy.

On the other hand, Law stands up with a stocky look, finding his way outside the small hut, calling out to Bepo and the rest of the crew that stood outside on standby.

"All of you, place your mask on and cover your hands with gloves. Don't touch anything unnecessarily. There's a possibility you can be contaminated by something spreading around here," Law speaks darkly as he racks inside his head, trying to match the symptoms Indraa told them to all the diseases he can think of.

Clementine secretly admired the quick decision the man seemed to make. She, however, gives Indraa her full attention.

"Have all of those who caught this disease died, Indraa? Are you the only one left in this village?" Clementine gently questions, waiting patiently as the woman shudders.